Update and Enhancement to Digital Evidence/Examination Capabilities

The Charleston Police Department (CPD) Forensic Services Division (FSD) is faced with a problem of aging, outdated digital recovery tools to aid in the timely detection and examination of digital evidence, thus resulting in extended turnaround times and inability to retrieve data from deactivated or password protected phones. As the City continues to experience unprecedented increases in drug overdose and violent crime, it is important that technology capable of effectively screening for and recovering digital evidence is accessible to the CPD-FSD. The division seeks to purchase updated forensic workstations, a forensic video mobile extraction device, mobile phone unlocking technology, digital evidence lockers and training for examiners. Improved speed, power, and increased storage capacity would result in a substantial reduction in the time needed to acquire and process data and give enough storage space to work and link multiple cases of evidence. Mobile forensic video and data extraction capabilities will advance the efficiency and effectiveness of evidence detection and collection which has the potential to identify a suspect, provide investigative leads, link a suspect to a victim or a crime scene, or exonerate an innocent person. The overall project outcome is enhancement and expansion of current digital evidence recovery capabilities. All of these efforts will aid in the reduction of violent crime and drug distribution, leading to the prosecution of the guilty.

CA/NCF